THIS is the email sent by independent councillor Frank McBrearty to Fianna Fail councillor David Alcorn.
Earlier at Donegal County Council today, Cllr Ciaran Brogan (Fianna Fail) had accused Cllr McBrearty of sending 5am emails to Cllr Alcorn.
The Mayor – on legal advice – refused to allow the email to be read into the record. It concerns a decision taken by McBrearty as Mayor to send a file to the Standards In Public Office commission about expenses allegations made against Cllr Alcorn. Cllr Alcorn was subsequently cleared by SIPO of any wrongdoing.
However Cllr McBrearty read it out anyway.
This is what it said:
Private & Confidential
Without Prejudice
Cllr David Alcorn
Burton Port
Letterkenny
Co Donegal
11th Jan 2014
Dear Cllr Alcorn
I am deeply saddened by your reaction and allegations made by you in the local media before and after concerning the sending of your file and the decision by SIPO in your case. I have copies of all your comments in the media and I have had your interviews in Irish translated into English. In my role as Mayor of the county I had several obligations and one of those was to ensure that your right to natural justice was protected. Documentation given to me from the ethics registrar concerning allegations made against you which had to be looked at by me in my role as Mayor which I took very serious and that is why at all times I had legal advice at my disposal during my examination into your file. I have taken very serious the comments made by your colleague Cllr Seamus O’Domhnail on a number of occasion directed at me in the chamber that I have acted inappropriately in the way I dealt with your file and others to SIPO. My good name and the good name of my family are very important to me as you are well aware when my Mother stayed with you and your family in Burton Port on occasion. My Grand Mother who was a native of Burton Port and who was well known to you came from a very well respected family in the area. I understand that you have no control on what other people say but I have the right to protect my good name and my family from attack which I did very successfully when the Gardai tried to frame me for murder. If you acknowledge in writing to me that I have done nothing wrong concerning my role as Mayor in dealing with your file that will be the end of matter as far as I and my family are concerned. In the media you have raised issues concerning the conduct of the council which I at the time was the Mayor. If you have issues with the council then you should complain to Liam Ward and the County Manager and if you are not satisfied then you should take the appropriate action. I wish to state to you that I acted appropriately, professionally and within the remit I had as Mayor which was given to me by members of Donegal County Council. At all times during my time looking at your file I was advised by the County solicitor about my legal obligation to you in ensuring your right to Natural justice. I hope that you will accept what I have told you and that you will acknowledge in writing that I have done nothing wrong in examining the file that was given to me by Liam Ward in my role as Mayor. If this does not happen I will have a statement which has been prepared read into the record of Donegal County Council concerning my role and investigation conducted by me concerning your file which was sent to SIPO. Finally I want to wish you and your family all the best in the future and I look forward to working with you on the Council over the next 5 months of this term of the Council.
Yours faithfully
Cllr Frank McBrearty Jnr
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